Smitten (MODERN AU)
by tiredxrat
Summary: (MARLIZA) Eliza Schylur is at King's College to study, graduate, and get a job. Her roommate, Maria, has other plans. But what happens when Eliza finds herself falling for the rebel? Will she give everything up for a chance at love, or will she graduate and marry a man, per her father's instructions?
1. Chapter 1

Eliza sighed as she arrived at the wooden door to what would be her room for four years. She hesitated to open it, afraid to see who she would be soending those four years with. _It wouldn't really matter,_ she told herself. _After all, it's not like you're here to make friends._ Eliza took one last deep breath and unlocked the door. Immediately, she noticed the dirty laundry in piles laying on the floor, the messy bed, and the dirty dishes in the sink. She stepped inside, resisting the urge to go on some maniacal cleaning spree. The TV was on some kids show, and Eliza scrambled to find the remote so she could shut off the annoying music.

She threw her luggage onto the second, _cleaner,_ bed, and set off to cleaning the room. She found the cleaning supplies, tucked away under the sink, and started to sweep, mop, scrub, and dust everything in sight. After about two hours, the place was sparkling clean. After all of that work, she flopped down on the couch, sighing in relief.

"Are you the pizza guy? And why does my dorm smell like..." The girl who had just entered the dorm sniffed the air, her curly hair bouncing. "_Lemons?"_

"You must be Maria! I'm Eliza Schylur, your roommate!" Eliza stood up and offered her her hand to shake. "Your, I mean_ our,_ dorm was a little, messy. I put all of your textbooks and supplies on your desk!"

"Ah. Well, nice to meet you, Eliza. My name is Maria Reynolds, please call me Maria. Why are you here so early? Classes start in two months, y'know," Maria pointed out. She shook Eliza's hand, taking off her denim jacket and leaving it on a chair.

"I could ask you the same thing. I'm here early because my father made me, it's getting kind of crowded at home after Angelica had her baby."

"Cool. Well, do you want to stay for supper? I ordered a pizza, should be coming in 'bout ten minutes."

Eliza nodded, and they started to talk about their interests, life, and everything else. They became really close extremely quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

"Eliza, make the clock shut up."

"Eliza, make the clock shut up!"

"Eliza, please make the clock shut up!"

Maria grumbled and rolled out if bed, suddenly aware of the smell of bacon and eggs. She walked towards it, wondering who was up this early. She was greeted by Eliza's warm smile, along with a plate if bacon and eggs, with ketchup on the table.

"Good morning!"

"Why the heck are you awake right now? It's literally only-"

"It's eight in the morning, Maria. You probably should be awake," Eliza said, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs. Maria was about to interrupt, but after looking at Eliza's stern, yet beautiful face, she shut her mouth.

Maria dug into the breakfast Eliza had set out for her, while Eliza politely ate the eggs, wincing once she saw Maria's messy eating.

"So," Eliza coughed, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "How was your sleep?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, my sleep! I mean, it was okay. Yourself?"

"Mine was just fine. What do you want to do today?"

Maria thought about it for a bit. There was a lot they could do, but most of Maria's interests didn't line up with what Eliza thought to be proper. "I heard about a party tonight. Maybe we could go?"

"A party?" Eliza nearly spit out her orange juice. "I don't go to parties. I never have, actually."

"You've never gone to a party? Seriously. How about high school? Did you just study and study?" Maria asked in disbelief.

"I've never been interested in them. It's just drinking, drugs, and sex. Even if I was interested, my father wouldn't let me," Eliza explained. "There's this nice little bubble tea shop in town, maybe we could check that ou-"

"No. No, no, no. You are going to your first party, and I don't care if I have to drag you there by the hair or not. I am not letting the love of my- I mean my friend, miss out on some of the best times she'll ever have."

"Bu-"

"It starts at ten, tonight. I give you something to wear. Be ready," Maria commanded. Eliza was about to resist, but Maria's voice was firm, and Eliza knew that she wasn't going to change her mind.

"F-fine," Eliza stuttered. They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence.


End file.
